Worth Dying For
by Iapetus
Summary: Would you die to protect the ones you love? What if the person you were protecting them from was yourself? DISCONTINUED
1. Prolouge

Worth Dying For  
  
A Sailor Moon / Sorcerer Hunters fan fiction by Iapetus  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own either of the above series. However, I love them both to death – and there is a good reason for that.   
  
Author's Note: This story is based off the manga of both series. In the manga story of Sailor Moon, this story takes place one year after the battle against Chaos (So Crystal Tokyo hasn't been made yet). In the Sorcerer Hunters Manga, the story takes place a month after the story "One Fine Afternoon" (the end of volume 9).   
  
This is a teaser, and I'm updating it because the formatting on the story was messed up. Chapter 1 should be out soon. (Sorry for the wait for those who are.) 

  
  
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Hotaru was in the middle of a rose garden. The flowers were as red as blood, and stood out against the green of the grass. A slight breeze ruffled the leaves.  
  
_Mother loved roses_, she thought to herself. At their old home, when her father was still alive, her mother tended a garden much like this. It was almost like she was home again, when she was still a normal girl – and before the accident at the laboratory that set the rest of her life in motion.  
  
"Hotaru-chan!" Startled by the call from the tranquility, the young teenage girl turned to see who it was. Usagi was running towards her, a huge smile on her face.  
  
"We've been looking for you! Why did you wander off?" Now that she was standing in front of the girl, the oddness of the situation continued. It was Serenity, not Usagi. _Why has the princess assumed her royal dress?_ Hotaru thought. Usagi may have accepted her fate as Princess of the Moon, but she just didn't dress like that on a regular basis.  
  
A bolt of lighting shattered the stillness. _How could lighting appear like that on a cloudless day? _She thought. The bolt seemed to tear the very sky, and the sun disappeared. A crimson moon arose from nowhere, and the figure floating in front of it surprised her.  
  
It was Sailor Saturn, dressed as she first had when she'd awakened. The Silence Glaive had blood on it, and murder was in the senshi's eyes.  
  
Usagi gasped, and looked back at Hotaru. Terror filled both of their eyes, because neither knew what was going on.  
  
Both girls went for their crystals.  
  
"Saturn Crystal Power, Make Up!" In a swirl of purple light, the quiet girl transformed into her other self. Everything seemed to be going fine, until her Glaive appeared. Grabbing it out of habit, Hotaru could not have been prepared for what happened next.  
  
The Holy Grail appeared in front of the moon princess.  
  
"Silver Moon Crysta-" she never finished what she was going to say. The other Saturn launched towards the vulnerable girl. Hotaru tried to reach her friend, but a wall held her in place.  
  
_The Silence Wall? But how?_ Stunned, she could only watch in horror. The other Saturn plowed through the building energy – and impaled the princess with the blade of the Glaive.  
  
"USSSAAAGGGIIIIII!!!" Hotaru screamed in anguish. Infuriated, she tried to get through the wall of energy again. It didn't work.  
  
"WHY?" she screamed at the attacker. "WHY DID YOU DO THIS?"  
  
Her aura wasn't getting though the wall again. Hotaru felt her anger building in her, giving her more power.  
  
"Silence Glaive Surprise!" the Silence Wall shattered, and the ball of light headed towards the imposter senshi.  
  
"Silence Glaive Surprise!" the other shouted in response. Both balls of light struck halfway between the two female warriors, and imploded.  
  
Wall gone, Hotaru rushed to her attacker, only to have her body frozen. This time it wasn't the wall. The imposter was emitting a purple aura, and looking at her with glowing eyes.  
  
"Why did you assume my form?" Hotaru demanded. "How can you mimic my attacks?" she challenged. "WHY DID YOU KILL MY PRINCESS?"  
  
The other Saturn smiled an 'all-knowing' smile. "I am you, the future you."  
  
"That's impossible," chuckled Hotaru. "I only wore that fuku when I first awoke as a senshi. I have had my powers increased, and received the Star Crystal transformation like the rest of the solar senshi-"  
  
"You are different, Sailor Saturn," the other remarked. "Unlike the Inner Senshi, your original mission was not to protect the princess. She gave you that job out of the love of her heart.  
  
"You are not like Sailor Uranus and Neptune, who's mission was to guard the Solar System from outside invaders. They were given the privilege of protecting Serenity as well.  
  
"You do not guard the Gates of Time, like Sailor Pluto. She was given the privilege to serve as well. You were never to have that."  
  
_No_, she thought with tears. _That can't be true. It can't! It was her who brought the other Outer Senshi to the aid of their fellow warriors during the battle against the Dead Moon. Wasn't it her other self, like the one that appeared before her, who told her that she didn't have to fight alone anymore?_  
  
"You are the Goddess of Destruction. You will eventually destroy this world into nothingness."  
  
"I know that!" she glared back, "but my mission was fulfilled! I dropped the Glaive on Pharaoh 90, and Pluto sealed me into their dimension with them. I was reborn to fight with Sailor Moon!"  
  
"You are wrong." Something about the way the other Saturn said it kept Hotaru from saying something in protest.  
  
"Every time you are reborn into this world, you will eventually drop your Silence Glaive," she smiled wickedly. "I came to you then with the lie that you could be one of them – because it wasn't time for you to do so."  
  
"What, is there a new enemy?" Hotaru demanded.  
  
"No.  
  
"This world must return to nothingness. Not even destroying Chaos could cause evil to cease to vanish forever. Light cannot exist without the darkness, and darkness cannot exist without the light. You were created to bring balance to the Solar Senshi.  
  
"Like it or not, but you are not the person you thought you were."  
  
"I was never the person I thought I was!" Hotaru shot back. "We all change. I can never go back to being an ordinary girl; I was never one in the first place.  
  
"Either way, you won't get away with this. The others will not let this rest-"  
  
"You mean these others?" The gray walls of the garden faded away, revealing a terrible battleground.  
  
They were all there: Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Jupiter – trying to get to the door of the garden. Uranus and Neptune held each other close, eternally inseparable – with tears drying on their cheeks. Pluto was lying over Chibi Moon, a last attempt to protect the little princess she loved so much. None of them would move again, they were impaled by the other Saturn's Glaive; just as Usagi had been.  
  
"Your wrong! I'd never do this to my friends!"  
  
The bloody Glaive was now pointed at her. "It is your fate. You were created to be evil. No one escapes fate, you should know that by now… Tomoe Hotaru."  
  
"You're lying," her voice became as cold as ice.  
  
"You know it's true." She extended her hand to the girl. "Accept me, and end it."  
  
"No." She shook her head, and floated slightly backwards.  
  
"No-" The images of her best friends covered in a sea of blood filled her eyes.  
  
"No!" _This can't be happening, it's not true!_  
  
Something in her heart shot back with the same venom as the other Saturn. "You know it is…" it whispered.  
  
"NOOOOOOOOO!!!"  
  
Screaming, Hotaru woke up – eyes filled with terror. She fell back on her pillow, and tried to close her eyes against the images. It didn't work; they just filled her mind even more.  
  
_Not again…_ she thought. Every night, the dream would come. In her dream, Hotaru had no recollection of the dream from the night before. The past two weeks had been torture, but this was the first time she screamed when she woke up.  
  
"Hotaru-chan?" It was Michiru. "Are you ok?"  
  
_There's no way I can talk about this dream_, Hotaru thought back tears. "No, I'm ok!" She laughed. "I guess it was one of those nightmares that one forgets as soon as they are awake. I'm sorry."  
  
"What's going on?" Haruka asked. "I heard a scream."  
  
"It was Hotaru, she had a bad dream."  
  
"Are you ok?" she demanded.  
  
"I'm FINE!" Hotaru said firmly. "It was just a bad dream. I've already forgotten about it!"  
  
The young girl turned away from the two older women; as to signal it was the end of the discussion. Snuggling under the covers, she didn't see both of them give each other a concerned look.  
  
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It was time for them to go to sleep, but Carrot tried to keep him from doing so. First, he said that he would take the night watch. He couldn't do it every night; otherwise the others would get suspicious. Second, he volunteered to get firewood when they began to run out late at night. Unfortunately, Gateau chopped enough wood in fifteen minutes to last any family all winter.  
  
Finally, he resigned himself to just busying himself in bed. Sure, he would have to deal with his other friends complaining about his sleeping habits, but anything was bearable next to the nightmares he had each night.  
  
For the last twelve days, he had been running on coffee. They had been passing through many cities, and chased as many girls as possible. Actually, he couldn't care less about getting it on with some girl right now. What use was it that as soon as he fell asleep by her side, he would be awake screaming? The chasing was now just an act.  
  
_Man, what I wouldn't do for a good night sleep. Coffee could only do so much._ Around day five, he even remarked to himself that he would become a monk and be celibate the rest of his life if he could just get a good night's sleep. Now, he was seriously considering talking to Marron about his problem. Gateau and Chocolat may have taken the girl chasing bait (he still had scars from his last beating), but Tira didn't seem so sure. Not only that but he KNEW Marron was aware something was wrong. They weren't brothers for nothing.  
  
_There is no WAY I could tell any of them,_ he thought. _They'd think I was going crazy._  
  
Maybe he was. But, for whatever reason – he found himself facing a monster each night. When he woke up twelve nights ago, he was standing over Marron with his sword held high. By the time he woke up, he had almost cut his own brother's head off. Luckily, that night he was on duty, and Marron has slept heavily. It was then he decided to go on coffee.  
  
Tira was on guard, so if he should do anything – she could stop him. He so wanted to sleep; his whole body cried out for rest.  
  
His eyes were getting heavy. _No… I can't go to sleep. I can't let them find out anything…_  
  
His pleas left unanswered by his body. Glace Carrot sunk into a deep sleep…  
  
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So, how'd you like my little teaser? Please review! I reformatted the story to make a bit more sense. Also, if anyone had read this story before, I changed Saturn from using the Revolution to Dropping the Silence Glaive. I found a bit of information that proved that I was wrong. (And since I'm going off the manga, that's an important detail.)

I'm at a bit of a writer's block right now, but I'll get the first chapter out as soon as possible.


	2. In My Dreams

Worth Dying For

A Sorcerer Hunters / Sailor Moon fanfiction by Iapetus

 Disclaimer:  I WISH I owned the Sorcerer Hunters... That'd mean I'd be the mastermind Satoru Akahori (who wrote Sakura Wars, Saber Marrionette, Maze, Chivas 1,2,3).  But, I'm not a guy. ;)

I also don't own Sailor Moon.  Naoko Takeuchi is a brilliant author (but I am not her).

I am me, and that is all that I am.

In short, don't sue me.

Anyways, to those who were actually READING my story, I apologize for the long wait on chapter 1.  Twisted Well takes priority (It was the first story I posted, among other things), and I ran into a Writer's block.  And, for some odd reason, I started three other stories (The Woman of Our Life among them).  Now, only one is finished (because it was a short fic), and I have four stories simply sitting there.

When I first decided to start posting stuff on Fanfiction.net, this was one of my original fanfic ideas.  I have returned to it, and will try to post a little more (somehow through my hetic schedule).

Well, I'll shut up now. ;)  Enjoy.

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Chapter 1:  In My Dreams

            "MISS!!!" Carrot shouted at the top of his lungs, "WILL YOU GO OUT WITH ME?"  The girl ran away as fast as she could, with the pervert only a step behind.

            "Darling!"  The older Misu sister ran after him with murder in her eyes.

            "Darling seems to be chasing girls more than usual these days," Chocolat commented.

            "Who'd have thought that possible?" Gateau said with a laugh from behind them.  "Baka."

            "We have been going thorugh more towns on the way back home," Marron sighed.  "It only seems natrual to expect him to do this."

            "Good point," the narccisist pushed back his blonde locks, and flashed the mage a smile.  "The baka shouldn't have all the fun." He ripped his shirt off, revealing the rock hard muscles he was so proud about.  "MARRON, LOOK AT MEEE!"

            Both Marron and Tira sweatdropped and backed up.  

            Soon, the whole street was in chaos.  Girls from all the houses noticed how incredibly buff Gateau was, and went to admire him.  He had no problem letting them goggle.

            Carrot noticed the gathering of girls, and tried to get one of them to go with him.

            "Miss, you want to get it on with me?" he begged at the feet of a tall brunette.

            "Hentai!" she shouted, and hit him on top of the head with a cucumber.

            "Darling you cheated on me!" Chocolat had gone dominatrix, and was after her love like the hounds of Hell.

            It was just any ordinary day with the Sorcerer Hunters-

            -except Marron knew this wasn't true.

            So did Tira.

            "My brother's covering something up," he pointed out.

            The younger Misu sister didn't need him to tell her.  "I was going to say that this is much more 'girl chasing' than he's done in any town.  It's almost as if he'd trying to escape."

            "Well," Marron shifted uncomfortably, "They say that.... well.... it is a form of escape..."

            Tira looked uncomfortable too.

            In an instant, the mage regained his composure.  "... yet it isn't that."

            Tira shuddered from the memory of the night before...

      *Flashback*

            He had been shifting around in his covers for hours.  It was not the type he did while sleeping.

            _If he was sleeping, he'd be in a position that would make him look like a complete idiot, Tira thought to herself.  __Yet Carrot was always glad to get to sleep.  Why isn't he?_

            It was also obvious that he wasn't an insomiac.  All week, he looked sleep-deprived, but it was forced.  _Just like his girl chasing..._

_            It was very obvious to her that it was now a put on.  Why he wouldn't tell any of them what was wrong, she had no idea.  Chocolat and Gateau had always been slighly naive in how Carrot's mind worked, for they hadn't worked with him as long as Marron and her had._

            _Marron says that he hasn't said anything.  In fact, Carrot has been incredibly silent for awhile.  She couldn't stand it.  The man she loved so much was suffering from some unknown affliciton, and she couldn't do anything to stop it._

            She noticed his body stop figiting, and his body relax.  Soon, he was breathing softly.

            "Good," she whispered to herself, "he's finally resting."

            Did the baka think he could hide how much coffee he drank each day?  Or how much excersize he did?  It was impossible.  As traveling companions, they lived (almost uncomfortably sometimes) close to each other.  How much one ate couldn't be hidden.  Each knew the other's routines like the back of their hands.

            An hour passed, and not much happened.  The fire had been dying down, but Tira put on another log.  It was a little bit chilly, and she wanted Carrot to get as much rest as possible.

            No matter how many logs she threw on, Tira knew that it wasn't helping.  His figiting had ceased for about a half an hour - which was replaced by the shifting one one in a dream.

            She could make out his face against the fire.  It was contorted in anguish.  These was not a dream - it was a nightmare.

            Suddenly, as if posessed, Carrot rose to his feet.  He had a dead look in his eyes (for you readers, like the person's pupils dissapeared), and looked like he was forcing himself to draw his sword.

            _He's struggling for it, or against it?  Tira couldn't figure out.  But one thing was for sure - she had to make sure he didn't do anything stupid._

            She threw off her cloak to reveal the leather side of her personality.  Somehow, she knew that too much noise would somehow have great consequences.  _  Then I won't use my whip.  I'd snap too much.  The spindel would work better anyways._

            In a flash, Carrot had moved to stand over his brother's sleeping form.  Tira didn't even think it, but did it out of reflex.  As Carrot went to slice his brother's throat, many things happened at once.

            First, Tira was able to get her wire around the trees and stop the posessed man cold.

            Second, the sword fell out of his hands, and fell into the ground an inch from Marron's head.

            Third, Marron woke up, and Carrot seemed to snap from his trance.

            "Nani?!" said Marron in surprise.

            "Carrot?" asked Tria in a concerned voice.

            The man seemed frozen in his spot, but it wasn't due to the dominatrix's wires.  Tears were running down his face.

            "Gomen nasai, Marron."  His face fell dejectedly.  Tira loosened her wires, and he stepped out.

            "I'm going to go take a bath."  Before they could even respond, he was gone.

      *End Flashback*

            "What happened there?" the concerned young woman asked.

            "I have no idea."  The lack of knowledge in the situation was bothering them both.  "There isn't much that would upset my brother like that, and the things that would he'd usually be able to talk with to me.

            "I know my brother like I know myself, and it works in the same way backwards.  Yet, I cannot see into his mind-"

            "Marron, you're an excelent mage who can read the Roku Deck like no one in the past century.  But, you are not psychic.  It is ok not to know the answers sometimes," she said encouragly.

            "I'd rather know the nature of this problem than anything before or after it," he shut his eyes tightly against his brother's pain.  "I feel as though this is somehow pivotal..."

            He wasn't the only person that was thinking that.

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            "Hotaru-chan!" Chibiusa shouted from the other side of the door, "Where are you?"  We want to get going!"

            Michiru, Haruka and Setsuna had been worried about Hotaru's nightmares - which hadn't stop.  They hoped a 'girls night out' with the other senshi would cheer her up.

            The young girl sat on her bed, dressed for the hike up the mountain.  Her backpack lay by her side, completely ready to go.  In her heart, though, Hotaru wanted to be alone.

            _When I look at them, I can't help but remember how they were in my dream.  She turned away from the point on the floor that was being stared at.  __Why did I ever have to have friends like this?  A tear rolled down her cheek.  __If I was alone, I wouldn't care if I lost anyone.  _

_            I was never supposed to awaken.  My presence always forshadows destruction..._

            Setsuna opened the door, closely followed by her little princess.  Both saw the girl crying, and Chibiusa's mood was instantly subdued.  She ran over to her best friend, and gave her a big hug.

            "Why are you crying, Hotaru-chan?" she asked innocently.  There was a fake cheerfulness on her face.  Nothing could disguise the concern for the girl.

            She took a moment to wipe her face against her sleeve, and then looked up.

            "I was.... just overcome in saddness.  Sumimasen, I don't mean to be a party pooper."

            "Hey, don't worry about it!  We're going to have a lot of fun!" Chibiusa reeasured her.  "By the time you get back, you won't even remember this saddness!

            "C'mon, let's go!"

            Hotaru, Chibiusa, Minako and Usagi all went ahead on the trail.  This was a part of the plan, because the Outers needed to talk to the more level-headed members of the Inners about Hotaru's problem.  Minako and Usagi were immediately both nominated, due to the fact that they would have a hard time keeping the facts in.  Anyways, they'd probably hear it from Chibiusa somehow.

            "Kami-sama, Usagi, can't you go any faster?" nagged the leader's future daughter.

            "Brat!  I'm going as fast as I can!" she shot back.  Minako couldn't help but laugh at their fight.  Even Hotaru grinned as the four girls dissapeard from sight.

            "She actually smiled..." Michiru said with contentment in her voice, "Hotaru hasn't smiled a natural smile in over a week."

            "I remember being depressed like that before," Makoto said thoughtfully, "It was right after I broke up with Toshi..."  The rest of the girls groaned.

            "There is more to life than boys, Mako-chan," Rei reprimanded.  "They're a waste of time."

            "Amen," put in Haruka.  Michiru elbowed her lover in the stomach.  "What was that for?!" she asked, pride slightly hurt.

            "What about Mamoru-san?" she questioned carefully.

            "Endymion-sama is different," she shot back, "He's our prince.  I respect both him and his reincarnation.  The same is with Usagi."

            "Although she can be a ditz at times..." Makoto commented.  All the girls sweatdropped.

            "Brains don't seem to be reincarnated, only our feelings.  My past self remembers Serenity as being quite smart."  The rest of the girls looked at Ami in astonishment.  It wasn't every day she called Usagi dumb.

            "Usagi isn't that much of a blonde," Rei pointed out.  "We all have our moments."

            Setsuna never was ceased to be amazed by Usagi and Rei's friendship.  Rei was the only person who could rival Chibiusa in the number of fights that they had with Usagi, and yet she said something like this.

            _Well, Chibiusa is like that too, she thought.  __They really come through when it counts._

            "Shouldn't we get back on the subject of Hotaru?" she put in gently.  It was so eazy to get caught in the conversation - if they wern't careful, they'd forget their original purpose.

            "Gomen, Setsuna," Haruka and Makoto apologized.

            For a full minute, none of them knew what to say.  Ami finally got the ball rolling.

            "How long has she been having these dreams?"

            "We're not sure," Michiru stated.  "She screamed in her sleep five nights ago, but she's been looking sleep longer than that."

            "I think it's been about twelve days," Haruka offered.  "Although I'm not exactly sure."

            Again, silence.

            "Dreams can sometimes be premonitions," Rei thought aloud.  "You never want to forget your dreams, because Kami-sama may be trying to tell you something."

            "And, Hotaru IS under Saturn," Makoto stated.  "She is the Senshi of Destruction - the Goddess of Destruction."

            "Not anymore," Michiru said quickly.  "She gave us our Crystals, and saved the princess.  Her mission changed like ours did."

            "But, Michiru-san," asked Ami, "the Outer Senshi each had slightly different jobs."  Both nodded to the statement that they knew to be true.  "Well," she continued, "Hotaru's was completely different from the rest of us.

            "The Inners were to be her personal guard.  Uranus and Neptune were to be a barrier against outside invaders.  Pluto was to protect those who abused time to get to ours.

            "But, Saturn never was to protect the princess.  She was the last resort, when everyone else had failed.  She'd drop the Silence Glaive, and everything would die."

            "What are you saying, Ami-chan?" Makoto asked.

            The genius took a deep breath, "That Hotaru is seeing the end of the world."

            "Saturn is destined to drop the Glaive every time she is reborn," Michiru noted.  "That is why her soul is not reincarnated as much as our own."

            "But, why should she be so worried?" asked Makoto again, "She's already dropped it!"

            "Mako-chan, don't you remember how we defeated Pharoah 90?" Rei said sadly.

            "Saturn was sealed with him and....." she stopped, having realized the answer.

            "The princess, out of the kindness of her heart, brought her soul back," Haruka smiled.  "She'd risk her own life for the one who would destroy our world..."

            "That's Usagi for you," Rei laughed.  "She's always been like that."

            "Let's not be so morbid about Hotaru, though," Makoto requested.  "Maybe she just has too much stress with Exams comming up," she sighed.  "I know I did."

            "Oh, that reminds me!" Ami perked up.  "I brought my old notes for her to study!  We can have a math party one night in the cabin!"

            All the girls rolled their eyes.  "Ami!"

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Japanese to English key:

Gomen nasai, Sumimasen= I'm sorry

baka= idiot

Ok, so how do you like the first chapter?  It's short, but I finally was able to write it!  Be happy!  And, thank you for the three reviews.  If it hadn't been for you, WDF would have sunk into FF.net oblivion.

Ok, now that that's out of the way....  Review!  I want to see what you think of it, and if any of my old readers are still looking at it (let me know if you are).  Arigatoo Goziamasu!

-Iapetus


	3. Midnight Antics

Worth Dying For

A Sailor Moon / Sorcerer Hunters fan fiction by Iapetus

Disclaimer:  I don't own either series, although I wish I did.

AN:  This is something I forgot to address from a review of the prologue. ALL of my crossovers will have the characters from both series meet each other.  However, you can't rush this.  There are WAY too many badly written crossovers out there, and I am TRYING not to be one of them.  (I'm also trying to be original in my story ideas, which is why I need you guys to review.  I need to know if my brain is on the right track.)

Also remember, when Hotaru is transformed into Sailor Saturn in one of her dreams and is facing her other self, I reefer to HER as Hotaru (even though she's transformed) and the evil Saturn as Saturn.  (I was thinking of writing Evil Saturn as eSaturn, but that sounded like an Internet company - so I didn't do it.) x_x ;;

Well, on with the second chapter.  I hope you enjoy it. ^_^

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Chapter 2:  Midnight Antics

            She tried to forget, she truly did.

            Last night had been one of the scariest in Tira's life.

            _Why would he try to kill Marron? She thought to herself, __it doesn't make sense.  They aren't the kind of siblings who fight!  They'd even give their lives for each other!_

            Over the day, it seemed as though he mellowed out.  It was incredibly depressing to watch such a spectacle go on.  By dinner, even Chocolat and Gateau knew something was up.

            This didn't help matters though, because they were approaching it in the wrong way.

            "Darling, I'll make you feel better..." Chocolat whispered into his ear, and played with a locket of his black hair.  Like he always did, Carrot moved back with the Fear of God instilled in his eyes.

            _He's returning to his normal self, she noticed.  __Maybe tonight he can tell us what's going on..._

            The food tasted good.

            Most of the restaurants that they had been eating at along the way were cheap Ramen shops.  _Half cooked noodles and broth that tastes like water... Glase Carrot thought to himself, __I thought I was going to be sick.  It was lucky that they found the 'diamond in the ruff'- the 1 out of 100 cheap kitchens that's cooking could be on the level of a five star restaurant._

            Today's girl chasing had run him out.  He had actually found a girl who claimed she liked him, but found out she was only after his wallet.

            _Jeez, I don't want to sleep with a whore... he thought to himself, __there's no fun in the seduction.  Not to mention, he didn't have that kind of money.  Luckily, Chocolat didn't find out about how a girl he was chasing was living at a Brothel.  __She'd skin me alive right now instead of trying to seduce me... he laughed to himself.  __Things are finally feeling normal again._

_            That is, except for the extreme tiredness in his limbs.  The sleep from the night before seemed to do him less good than he'd hoped.  Maybe it because his nightmare made it completely restless..._

            _That bastard of a god, he thought fiercely, __why did he have to be inside of me?  I want life to go back to how it used to be._

            What bothered him more was what he was doing.  Tira had stopped him last night, like he thought she would.  His brother had barely kept his life, and he himself was_ too dazed by the experience to answer any of their questions._

            _I hate how I don't remember any of the dreams until after it's over, he complained.  __And by then, I'm standing above Marron.  The biggest mystery lied there.  Why did he *always* go after his little brother?_

            ^Carrot…^ a soundless voice called into the distance.

            He was running from that voice, not wanting to know what it was.  The voice had other plans.

            ^Running will do you no good.  No matter where you go, there I will be as well. ^

            "Shut up," he whispered.

            The voice chuckled.  ^This is amusing!  If only your friends could see you now… heh heh heh. ^

            Something inside the young man snapped.  He couldn't stand the voice's taunting, and whirled around to face it.

            "What's so funny about me?" he demanded, then gasped at the figure's appearance.  He was a short man, with dark blue skin.  He had three eyes and two horns.  The creature held an orb in one hand, and a staff in the other.

            ^What's so funny is that you're telling yourself to shut up. ^  He laughed a cruel laugh, as the shock and realization hit Carrot full force.

            "You're… the God of Destruction!"

            ^In the flesh. ^  That smile still remained on his face.  ^And I have a bone to pick with you. ^

            "About what?" he crossed his hands.  The god could do nothing to him without hurting himself.

            ^Don't act smart with me, baka.  I've destroyed the world before and I'm going to do it again. ^

            "No you're not, not while I'm alive."

            ^Yes I am. ^  The quick response startled Carrot.  ^Every time I am reborn into another body, I will awaken and lay waste the world.  Zacher Torte wasn't lying, you know.

            ^Your last encounter, when I was almost awakened myself, removed most of the seal.  The nightmares you have each night result in me gaining control of my body. ^

            "This isn't your body.  You're not me.  You may have been sealed inside me, but you're not me," he protested.

            ^I am the reason you were born.  Your mother's body was where I dwelt for a long time.  My first chance to get out was through you.

            ^You yourself know the seal is weakening.  All I have to do to remove it completely is to remove those who entrap me. ^

            Carrot remained clueless for a second, and then it came to him - the Four Pillar Gods.  Each one was sealed into his fellow Sorcerer Hunters.  They brought down the God of Destruction before, and sealed him away for 'all' eternity.

            _Well, obviously that didn't work.  Still, a terrible tragedy of his awakening was the death of Gateau.  Had the five Platina stones not been destroyed, he would not have died.  Sure, Zacher brought him back to life as a favor for Éclair's dedication, but the fact that he had made it worse._

            "You can't kill them.  They're my friends.  One's even my brother!"

            ^They've been my enemies since the Emperor fell asleep.  I must dispose of them! ^  He held the orb high above his hand, and it glowed a metallic green.  

The sensation of a million knives tore through Carrot's body.  He screamed in agony, both in physical pain and psychological pain.

_No, not again…he was beginning to loose control of his body._

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

            "CARROT!" Tira demanded.  "What's the matter with you?"

He was trapped firmly in the dominatrix' wire.  His sword lay on the ground five feet away, shiny with blood.  Shocked, he turned to see who had been slashed.  In horror, he saw Tira's left arm covered in blood.

_Oh my gosh, I did it again... "Tira, I'm so sorry…" he began._

"Save it," she said shortly.  "I can heal this easily enough with Gaeis.  What is wrong with you?"

_This is the first time anyone has ever been hurt... he thought, terrified._

"What did I do?" he asked meekly.

"How can you apologize for something you didn't know you did?" her anger was building, and her voice seemed to be heard within a mile-wide radius.

"Tira, I really don't know," the look on his face dissolved a little bit of her anger - although now it was filled with worry.

"You really don't know?" she asked slowly.

"No, I don't."

She closed her eyes against the memory.  "You were standing over Marron, with your sword held high.  By the time I saw you, I didn't have time to spin my wire, so I jumped to get you away from the rest of them.

"That's when you slashed me-"

"What's going on, Tira?" a startled Gateau walked up.  "I'm next on watch duty."  He suddenly came to his senses at the sight of her blood - and Carrot's sword.

"Carrot no baka!  What do you think you're doing?"  He grabbed the young man by his shirt, and pulled him close to his face.

"How. Could. You...." he didn't even understand the situation himself.

"Darling?" Chocolat asked groggily, "Nani desu ka?"  Her reaction was immediate.  "Nani?!" she said in a low voice.

"I'm so sorry, Tira.  I have been having the worst nightmares each night."  She motioned for him to go on, but he wouldn't have it.

"It is just one of those dreams you forget."  With that, he walked into the forest.

Before she could object, Carrot yelled, "I need some time to think to myself.  I'll be back later."  And with that, he was gone.

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

            _Some studying will do the girl some a bit of good, thought the girl-genius Ami.  __Reviewing Calculus always calmed my nerves.  Who knows?  Maybe Hotaru will be the same way._

            She knew that her friends would chew her out if they found out that she had actually *planned* on studying during the trip.  Now days, she simply said it to tease them.

            _Well, even if math isn't the greatest release for some people, it will take her mind off whatever she's thinking of.  That in itself will be a huge jump._

            No one could possibly think of what would make Hotaru so upset.  The dream premonition was a theory, but not very sound (because Hotaru wouldn't tell them anything).  From what Chibiusa said, the girl had become pretty popular in school.  Setsuna could vouch for her classroom marks, and she didn't seem like the type who would get nervous over Entrance Exams.  Chaos had been gone for a year, and the only times they ever transformed anymore was to keep their skills up through practices.

            Her life seemed (almost) completely normal.

            Ami yawned, and turned the page.  It made the candle beside her flicker in the slight movement of air.  Her hand-held computer screen lay in front of her, pointed in the direction of the Senshi of Saturn.  It was monitoring her brain waves, so if anything odd came up, she'd be the first to know about it.

            _The guys won't grill me so bad then, if I told about how I was watching out for her.  Ami smiled.  Everyone had gone out of their way to cheer her up.  Michiru canceled a concert, and Haruka a race.  Makoto, Minako, and herself had all taken time off their part-time jobs.  Usagi begged her parents to let them stay up here all weekend, which was a huge feat._

            Minako had brought her karaoke machine and all of her tapes.  Most of them were out of their cases, and strewn around the sound system at the other side of the room.  _If we're not careful, this place is going to look like a pit when we're done.  She put an anime soundtrack back in its case, and put it on the stack of unsung discs._

            _Hotaru tried to get us to stay up all night tonight, she realized as the room got progressively cleaner.  __Are her dreams so bad that she doesn't even want to go to sleep?_

            Moans could be heard from the girl's futon.  Ami ran back to her computer, and began to analyze the incoming brain signals.  She could see her eyes moving under their lids from where she sat.

            "Nani?" the computer showed some interesting results to the older girl.  "She's fighting!?"

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

            Hotaru was in a garden that looked like the one her mother planted so long ago.

            _I can't wait to show Chibiusa this!  Who ever knew that it existed?  Yet, she could not remember such high walls existing.  She also couldn't find the door._

            "Hotaru-chan!" Usagi's voice rang out in the clear day, "I've been looking for you!"

            As the older girl approached, Hotaru noticed she was dressed as the princess.  _Why is that? She wondered to herself, __Usagi rarely transforms at all now a days.  She was holding a long-stemmed rose in her hand, and stopped three feet away from the girl.  As she panted from the run, she handed Hotaru the rose._

            "This is for you, Hotaru-chan!" she said with a cheerful smile.  "You looked down, so I brought it to you!"

            Her princess' kindness never ceased to amaze her.  "Arigatoo, Serenity-sama."  Taking the flower in her hand, she accidentally touched one of the thorns.

            It didn't hurt.

            "Nani?!"  In a wave, her past week of nightmares came back to her.  It was almost overwhelming.

            _That means, if this is a dream... SHE'S coming.  This may all be a dream, but Hotaru would fulfill her promise to protect her princess, real or not._

            _And, I somehow feel that I won't be able to end these nightmares until I defeat her.  At least this time she would be ready.  __Serenity-sama won't die while *I* know what's going on..._

            Sure enough the evil Saturn appeared before them a moment later.  This time, Hotaru did not hesitate in her decision.

            "SATURN CRYSTAL POWER, MAKE UP!" she shouted, surrounded by arcs of purple light.

            Usagi had no idea why there was another Saturn, but followed her friend's lead.

            "SILVER MOON CRYSTAL POWER, MAKE UP!"  The princess transformed into Eternal Sailor Moon, and Hotaru breathed a sigh of relief.  This was the first time in her dreams that Sailor Moon had finished her transformation.

            Saturn shot a ball of energy at Sailor Moon, and Hotaru grabbed her Silence Glaive to protect.

            When she grabbed her weapon, she could feel an odd sensation fill her soul.  It was as if her mind was leaving her body, and entering another.  As the grasp on the Glaive tightened, she felt her eyes snap open.

            Usagi and Saturn were 100 feet away; only this time it was HER who was dressed as the Goddess of Destruction.

            _Nani?  What's going on?!  She felt her mind sink as if into mud.  As the one protected by the Silent Star, she had a job to do._

            _No, I can't do this!  It's Usagi - Serenity-sama!_

            Something in her mind thought otherwise.  Hotaru felt her other self taking over.

            _Someone, stop me! She tried to shout, realizing then that her voice had been lost._

            She fought with all her might, but her body rushed at Eternal Sailor Moon, Glaive held down low.

            Usagi wasn't as dumb as some people thought her to be, realizing that she was being attacked (and didn't know how to fight back at the moment), she did the next best thing - move out of the way.

            The other her, _is it the evil me, or really me, or am I her now? - Hotaru couldn't figure it out, decided to help her efforts.  Raising her own Silence Glaive, she performed a Silence Wall that held Sailor Moon in place._

            "Nani!?" shouted the princess at the top of her lungs, terrified and confused.

            With one thrust, Hotaru impaled the leader of the Sailor Senshi upon her weapon-

            -And she *liked* it.

            "I told you it was your destiny," Saturn smiled back at her wickedly.

            _What did I just do?  Hotaru cried in her head, __WHY DID I DO THIS?_

_            "Will you come with me now?" the evil apparition offered her hand again._

            With increasing horror, Hotaru realized that she had lost complete control of her body.  She glided over to her 'reflection,' and-

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

            "USSAAGGGIIIII!  NOOOOOOOO!!!!"

            All eight of the other girls woke up in a start.  Ami fell of her chair in surprise.

            Hotaru tossed and turned on her cot.  Chibiusa looked on in concern, and then tried to shake her awake.

            "Hotaru-chan, wake up," she pleaded.  "You're having a nightmare!"

            Rei and Makoto stumbled in, still a little sleepy eyed.  "Was it her?" asked Makoto.

            "Yeah!" said the pink-haired girl worried.  "I can't get her to wake up…"

            Minako appeared in the doorway.  "What's going on?" Minako wondered.  She didn't have time to be answered.  Haruka, Michiru, and Setsuna pushed their way into the room, and stood in front of the moaning girl.

            "Serenity… our princess…" the girl moaned.  Usagi appeared in the doorway at last.

            "…How could you do that to her…" she spoke softly.

            "I heard Hotaru screaming my name.  What's going on?"  The leader's usual cheerful and carefree demure was gone.  Concern filled the girl's eyes.  Now they were seeing the problem firsthand.

            "She's having one of her nightmares!  I can't wake her up…" Chibiusa complained again.

            "No… Mars, Jupiter, Venus, Mercury…

            "No - Uranus, Neptune, Pluto… CHIBIMOON!"

            They all gasped as they heard their names called out.

            "No.  No… NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"  All in a start, Hotaru opened her eyes wide.  She was breathing fast, and looked as though she was going to pass out.

            "Hotaru-chan, are you ok?" asked a worried Chibiusa.

            Haruka and Michiru just looked at each other.

            It took her about a minute for her to regain her breath.

            "Why is everyone in here?" she inquired.

            "We're worried about you," Usagi put in.  "We heard you scream, and thought something was wrong."

            Hotaru gave a smile, although everyone could tell it was false.  "I'm ok.  I just forgot what the dream was about.  I'm tired, please let me go to bed."  And yet again, she turned away from those around her, and tried to go to sleep.  Haruka mouthed an 'I told you so,' behind the girl's back.

            Usagi was about to protest, when she saw Michiru raise a hand.  "Let's let her get some rest."  She then motioned for everyone except Chibiusa and Diana to leave.

_That was good, REAL good, she thought sarcastically to herself, __now they ALL know something's wrong.  Had the matter not been so terrible, she'd tell Chibiusa or her other friends in a shot - but this was different._

_But, in my dream... she kept her eyes wide open so she didn't have to see the images anymore.___

_I KILLED HER.  That hasn't happened before._

The first time she had woken up screaming, the dream had been like they always were.  She had no recollection of the night before, and was equally shocked each time it happened.  After that night, it was the same.

_It is like reliving the worst moment of your life constantly.  It was draining her of her energy, and she wasn't sure how much more she could handle._

"Hotaru-chan?" Chibiusa asked in a quiet voice, "I know you're not ok."  She lied down on the futon next to her best friend.  They remained silent for about five minutes before she talked again.

"I have nightmares about my friends too-" she began.

"How did you know?" Hotaru asked, surprised.

"Because you shouted out Usagi-chan's name," Chibiusa said in a matter-of-fact tone.  "I know that kind of scream.  I heard it all the time when the Black Moon was taking over the 30th Century."

Hotaru didn't respond.  Chibiusa hated talking of the Black Moon, or anything having to do with the fight.

"I have nightmares of when I was Black Lady, and how my own selfishness caused Pluto to die."  She closed her eyes at the memory.  "Even though she is reborn as we all are, she is not the same person she used to be.

"I still love her, but some times I fell as though I'm talking to a stranger."  She smiled back at Hotaru.  "But you're different.  You have a happier life than when you lived in the Infinity Laboratory.

"It's only now that you seem like your old self."

_My old self...  Chibiusa really knows how to hit the nail on the head - even if she doesn't realize the significance of it._

She was grateful for her friend's support, and gave her a genuine smile.

_Chibiusa, I love you, and I'm so glad I met you._

_I'm just sad we won't be friends forever...._

(())(())(())(())(())(())(())(())(())(())(())(())(())(())(())(())(())(())(())(())

(())(())(())(())(())(())(())(())(())(())(())(())(())(())(())(())(())(())(())(())

I bet you guys are wondering about the last statement of the chapter!  Well, Carrot and Hotaru are reaching the breaking point, and something BIG is about to happen.  I know I'm going to write it in the next chapter, but who knows when that will be?  (Hey, I have a busy life....)

Keep on reviewing!  If you guys like me enough to get to chapter four, you'll see Hotaru and Carrot meet each other!  Yes, I'm guaranteeing you that- because I can't rush what happens in the third chapter.

Not only that, but it won't be just H & C that meet each other (although the other thing I'm talking about will come in a later chapter).

Thank you for reading!  I hope you enjoyed it.

-Iapetus


	4. Sayounara

Worth Dying For

A Sailor Moon / Sorcerer Hunter fan ficiton.

*Insert Normal Disclaimer here*

Author's Note:  This chapter is the one I've been looking forward to writing since the idea came into my mind.  Don't be deceived by the name of the chapter, there is still more to come! ^_^

I realized this when someone posted a reply:  not everyone knows a lot of Japanese.  Even though I made a key, it can be tedious to scroll to the bottom and then back up again.  So, I'm cutting out most of the Japanese phrases and name suffixes from here on (I might revise it later, but I'm not sure).

HOWEVER, there will be some things left in.  Baka (idiot, dolt, fool) is a necessity, because Gateau always calls Carrot that.  I love the word 'baka,' so it stays in.  I'm taking all the suffixes for names, but I might put -sama in later.  (If I do, I'll say so beforehand.)

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Chapter 3:  Sayounara

                Chibiusa and Diana had finally gone to sleep.  Hotaru knew that the rest of her fellow senshi were in the main room discussing what was going on with her.  Michiru and Haruka weren't stupid - waking up every single night from nightmares wasn't normal.

                But still... this dream had been different than all the others.  She had killed Sailor Moon herself.  As soon as she transformed, her other form took over.

                _We were supposed to do a practice exercise tomorrow afternoon, Hotaru thought.  __I think I've gone past the point of being paranoid.  In the depths of her heart, she could see the other her.  The Goddess of Destruction, protected by Saturn, dwelled in her body._

                _Every time I am reborn, I will destroy the world, her other self had said.  Still, the girl wished that she could be born one lifetime without the burden._

                _That will never happen, she realized sadly.  If anything about the battle against Galaxia/Chaos told her anything, it was that a Senshi's soul was always albe to be reincarnated, if her crystal still existed.  Was it possible to break the cycle?  Could she prove her other self wrong?  Hotaru couldn't stand the torture anymore, and with the impending transformation coming; she'd rather die than see her friends go in her place._

                _I do owe it to them to tell what is going on, though, she thought.  __Once I'm gone, they'll know why, and why I didn't tell.  Pulling out a light purple piece of stationary, the troubled girl took out a pen and began to write:_

Dear minna-san,

                I feel a great sorrow in my heart as I write this, for I feel there is no possible solution to my problem.  You've all been so good to me, taking time off work to get me away from the city, but it isn't working.

                I can't escape my dreams.

                Every night, I dream I am in a garden.  Serenity comes in, and we are confronted by an image of the Saturn I looked like when I first appeared.

                We tried to transform, but Usagi was killed.  I battled against my other self, but she canceled me out.  Later, she shows me the rest of you lying dead - stabbed by the Glaive.

                Each night it gets worse.  Tonight, when I transformed, I was possessed in a sense, and killed you all myself.

                I can't stand it.  I love you all more than you can possibly know.  You were my only friends when I was a freak.  You are my only family now.  I feel as though the dream will come true soon, and I cannot let that happen.  I'd rather die than see you dead.

                My other self told me of Yin and Yang, and how I was the dark side to all of your light.  I am supposed to provide balance, but my other self wants to throw it.

                I'm going to break the pattern of how things are - I'm going to take her down before she can do any damage.  Don't try to stop me.  Don't try to find me.  I will not return.

                Maybe, when I rid myself of this curse, we can meet each other in another life.  I'd like that.

Sayounara.

Love,

Hotaru

                She left the letter on her pillow, and crept into the kitchen.  Usagi snored loudly from the other room, which the girl figured would cover the sound of her walking.

                Carefully stepping around the floor so no sound was made, she was able to get across the old wooden floor.  Opening the sliding wooden door only a couple feet, she squeezed through.

                _Whew, Hotaru thought to herself, __that door usually is the loudest part of the house.  I'm glad it didn't make any sound now, or the others would have been sure to hear it._

                Never ever think or say something like that.  As soon as you do, you jinx whatever you're doing.  Letting down her guard, she closed the door like she'd normally in any house.

                The sweaking was atrocious.  It sounded vaguely like nails-on-a-chalkboard, only the wood variation of it.  With the many battles and sneak attacks that came with being a Senshi, all the girls had become light sleepers.  It was sure to wake them.

                _No, I got to get out of here!  Leaving all reason behind her, Hotaru jumped off the porch and landed on her feet (it wasn't that high).  Heart beating in fear, she ran into the forest._

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

                The stillness of the lake was unnerving.  In the peace of slow moving water, Carrot could find no consolation.  Running from himself, as well as his friends, he had ended up here.

                A large boulder sat at the edge of the water.  He could tell it was the deepest spot, for nowhere else could he NOT see the bottom.

                _With the bottom as clear as it is everywhere else, this spot MUST be deep, he thought.  Somehow, the darkness could do for him what the rest of the lake couldn't._

                The boulder was slippery with algae and rain, but he didn't care.  The coolness calmed his aching muscles and his torn spirit.

                Shutting his eyes tightly, he tried not to remember what had just happened.

                _I hurt Tira.  I-hurt-Tira...  How could he?  Was he so lethal in his other state that not even her skills would be up to par against him?_

                _She said it was nothing, but I've been in to many fights to know it was a lie.  Her arm was not 'just bleeding,' it was badly wounded.  She could barely maneuver her wire - he could tell from the slack._

                _Gaeis can heal it, but HOW could I hurt her?  They had been partners, it seemed, forever.  She was not just another girl._

                _Tira had said I was going for Marron again.  It was almost becoming too much to bear.  __Why is it ALWAYS my brother?  It had been eating at the edge of his mind, and the young man returned to the idea of the Pillar Gods._

                _Gateau is of the North Sky... Chocolat is the Holy Demon... Tira is the Mother West... and Marron is-_

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

                "Huh?!" Chibiusa asked groggily.  She had just woken up from a wonderful dream to the sound of the porch door.  There was no mistaking it; no door could possibly be that loud.

                "Hotaru, who-" she stopped.  Her friend wasn't next to her.

                "Small Lady, there's a letter on her pillow!" Diana indicated, picking it up in her mouth.  She brought it back to her mistress, who turned on a flashlight to read.

                When she was done, her face had gone as white as a sheet.  She could barely talk.

                "Hotaru?" she shouted, much to her shock.  Tears were coming to her eyes.

                "D-Diana," she stuttered, "G-go get everyone out of bed-"

                "What's going on?" the door slammed open.  Haruka stood in the doorway, and looked down at the little princess.  It didn't take long to see what the problem was.

                "Where's Hotaru?" she asked quickly.  The woman had a habit of appearing cross when she was concerned, and it was showing through now.  Chibiusa held up the letter, and the little kitten jumped out of her lap and out the door.  Michiru appeared in the doorway behind her, speechless.

                As Haruka read on, she gripped the letter tighter.  Her lover read over her shoulder. Fear was beginning to show in her eyes.  As her grip shifted, some of the ink rubbed off on her hand.  In a moment, Haruka left the room.

                "EVERYONE, GET OUT OF BED NOW!" she shouted.  Haruka's booming voice resonated throughout the house.  Not even Usagi, whose snores could drown out lawnmowers, could drown out that.

                Chibiusa began to cry, and Michiru put her arms around the girl, and rocked her like a mother would.

                "It'll be ok.  We'll find her," she reassured.  "The ink was still wet from her ballpoint pen.  She couldn't have gone far."

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

                Big Momma gazed into her crystal ball, to check up on all of her 'children.'  The Hidden Village currently had 100 natives serving as Active Sorcerer Hunters.  All of them had a chance to take a break, for none of the Sorcerers of Spooner had been misbehaving in the last 48 hours (that hadn't been dealt with yet) - so she was giving them all a short repast.  They seemed to be enjoying it too, except for one of her teams.

                Carrot and his friends were one of the youngest groups of Hunters out there, but they also had the best success rate.  Grandpa had said before that they were blessed with powers beyond that of normal villagers, due to the gods sealed within them.

                She watched the whole ordeal of Carrot attacking Tira in horror.  _Why would he do this? she worried.  The drama continued, as they young man ran into the woods._

                _How could I have possibly overlooked this?  "Dotta," she called out to the winged girl, "Go to Marron and Tira.  I need to talk to them._

                Dotta had no idea why her adoptive mother would send her out so late at night, but it was best not to question the deity's words.

                "Ok, Big Momma!" she smiled brightly.  "I'll be there in a second!"  With that, she disappeared in a cloud of pink smoke.

                "What?!" the other girls shouted in unison.

                "Hotaru's written a good bye note?" Rei said in disbelief.

                Haruka read for them the letter.  For a moment, no one knew what to say.  Setsuna was the one who knocked the sense back into them.

                "PLUTO CRYSTAL POWER, MAKE UP!"  Purple and black lights surrounded her, transforming her into Sailor Pluto.

                "Let's go find her," she said simply, "But I think we should all transform.  Well, be faster then."

                They all nodded an affirmative.

                "MERCURY CRYSTAL POWER, MAKE UP"

                "VENUS CRYSTAL POWER, MAKE UP!"

                "MARS CRYSTAL POWER, MAKE UP!"

                "JUPITER CRYSTAL POWER, MAKE UP!"

                "URANUS CRYSTAL POWER, MAKE UP!"

                "NEPTUNE CRYSTAL POWER, MAKE UP!"

                "SILVER MOON CRYSTAL POWER, MAKE UP!"

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

                The Hunters would have gone after their comrade right when he ran off, but the familiar alternate-dimension area appeared around them.

                Chocolat, Marron, Gateau and Tira all sighed in frustration.  If there was ever a time to go after Carrot, it was now.

                "Hey everyone!" Dotta said cheerfully.  Her mood changed when she realized that Carrot wasn't hitting on her.  "Where is Carrot?

                "What?!" She exclaimed in surprise, "Tira, what happened to your arm?"

                Before she could answer, the Deity appeared before their eyes.  Big Momma had a distraught look on her face.  It was obvious that she knew what was going on as well.

                "Do you know why Carrot is having these nightmares, everyone?" she asked quickly, without even saying hello.  Concern reflected back into their eyes, as they nodded a negative.

                "His dream is so powerful, he can even fight in his sleep.  I am sorry Tira for your injury; he really didn't mean to do that."

                "I know Momma," Tira nodded.

                "What could be so powerful that the baka would attack one of his own friends?" Gateau asked, "He may sometimes be a fool, but he would never harm his friends."

                The Hunters had never seen so much agitation in their "mother's" face.  The facade of calmness was beginning to wear off.

                "Carrot's seal on the God of Destruction has been weakened."  Dotta gasped.

                "When Gateau died in the battle for the last Platina Stone, the God of Destruction awakened partially.  If all four Pillars were destroyed, he would have nothing to stop him from destroying the world.

                "The God of Destruction has been slowly taking over Carrot's consciousness.  He has been trying to kill one of you, so he can get more control over his body.  Right now, Carrot can hold his own while he is awake."

                "Wait a second..." Chocolat thought aloud, "He had been taking in a lot more coffee recently."

                "It's hard to believe that he'd need a power source with his kind of stamina," Gateau laughed sadly.  The muscle man felt sorry for the position his friend was in.

                "I needed to contact you so you could find Carrot again," Big Momma continued.  "Grandpa and I can redo the seal, and his sleep patterns can return to normal.  However, something is interfering with my crystal ball, and I cannot locate him.

                "Find him immediately, his life and sanity may depend on it."

                Mercury had her visor out, and her computer in front.  She was running with Mars, following the signal.  Suddenly, they came to a complete stop.  Her computer shorted out, and the visor vanished.

                "What?" Mars said in surprise.  That was the first time anything like that had ever happened.

                "I got a reading right before it shut off," she exclaimed, "something is trying to push us away."

                "It must be Hotaru," the other senshi reasoned, "It has to be.  I don't feel any evil chi in the area."

                "Can't you feel her chi as well?" Mercury inquired.

                The priestess nodded her head.  "She must be masking it."

                Their wrist communicators chirped, and Uranus' voice could be heard from the other end.

                "We didn't see her in our area," she quickly stated.

                "Then come over here," Venus responded quickly, "Our area has a ton of hiding places, and we can't check them all."

                Uranus and Neptune agreed to the plan, and rushed to where they were needed.

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

                "THE LORD OF REBIRTH!" he shouted to himself.  

                The logic all made sense now.  _The God of Destruction is going after him first, because his death would prevent the world from taking shape again!_

                ^Way to go, Sherlock, ^ the Voice spoke sarcastically.  ^Tell the boy what he's won! ^

                Amazingly, it wasn't anger that was his first reaction, either fear.  It was confusion.

                "Sherlock?  What's a 'Sherlock?'"

                ^You wouldn't know.  You weren't alive then, baka, ^ it shot back.

                It unnerved him that the voice from his nightmares was not egging him on as he was trying to rest. It was a fight that only he could carry out.  There wasn't any way he was going to let Him take over his body while he was alive.

                ^Oh? ^ the Voice smirked, ^Carrot-chan is going to fight his better half? ^ it teased.

                "I'm not little!" he protested.  "And what do you mean my better half?"  He hadn't realized that he had been standing with fists clenched.  "You are obviously my worse one!"

                ^And you are obviously a baka, Baka. ^

                "I've been called a baka several times in my life - one of my friends even says that to me instead of my name - but I am not the fool here."

                ^What can you do against me? ^ it shot back.

                Carrot didn't answer for a long time.

                _I keep hovering over my brother, posed to strike.  One time I actually came close to doing it, the moment when his blade fell an inch from Marron's face flashed back into his memory._

                _Tira was hurt tonight.  If I had put more force into it, she wouldn't even have an arm now, blood trickling down her arm returned to his mind, but was worse was her face.  It was a mirror of her soul, which was something you didn't always see while she was a dominatrix.  Pain from her injury was obvious, but anger was also there.  Confusion was the most predominant, but he had also noticed a twinge of..._

                ...pity.

                _Why feel pity for me? he challenged himself, __I don't deserve it.  I have a devil living inside me, and he is chipping away at my sanity day by day._

                ^Excuse me, ^ the Voice retorted, ^I am a GOD, not a lowly devil. ^

                "Yet even gods can die," Carrot challenged.

                ^You really are a baka, ^ it said seriously.  ^I had hoped that that whore you call a mother would have given birth to a son with more sense-^

                "DON'T YOU CALL MY MOM THAT!" he screamed.

                The God didn't even seem to notice.  "-But NOOO.... SHE had to have YOU, and give the smarter boy to my enemy! ^

                It took Carrot a good thirty seconds to calm down enough to speak.

                "Gods can be killed," he repeated.  The God only laughed in his ears.  

                "If I die, YOU will too.  A god cannot exist without a body, and you are no different.  When your body was destroyed before, you were sealed inside my mother - along with the Pillar Gods.  If you are not sealed into another person after me, you will cease to exist."

                ^Fool.  The will of a God can never die!  Even if I don't have a body, my mind will live on! ^

                "But what will you be able to do?!" Carrot challenged, "You will have no arms or legs, only a will that exists!  Not even you - a god - could move things at will.  You need to activate your power through a body.

                "If I die, and you are not sealed, who will look for you?" It was now Carrot chuckling.  "You'll save Big Momma and Grandpa a huge hassle.

                "You've destroyed my life, you know," he said quietly.  "I could have been normal if it wasn't for you."

                ^You'd still be a Sorcerer Hunter.  That isn't a normal life, ^ it challenged.

                _It was normal for me... he thought sadly.  Drawing out his dagger, he poised it above his chest._

                "Sayounara, minna-san."  With that, he plunged the blade deep into his heart.

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

                It was taking all her strength to hide her presence from her friends.  Hotaru could tell that they had transformed, and the feeling would have been comforting if she hadn't been so scared.

                In her hand was a kitchen knife from the cabin.  Her hands were shaking almost beyond control; but her mind was made up.

                _There is no way that I'm EVER going to kill my friends, she thought fiercely.  __If I have to kill them, then I'd rather die now._

                She raised the blade to her throat, and placed the edge on her jugular.  Gritting her teeth, she pressed it into her neck, and pulled it quickly across.

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Keep those reviews coming!  Comments or Constructive Criticisms are ALL appreciated.  Please tell me if you notice any OOC that does not suit the situation immediately.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter.  How in the world do they get out of this one, you ask?  Well, you're going to just have to wait until I write the next part of the story.  Then, it get's interesting. ;)

-Iapetus__


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